Mig Welders

[Big Barn]

Terry

 

[Hilbilly]

When I started welding I bought a Century 295 stick welder at a flea market because it came with a 100' welding cable extension cord, 25' ground and 50' stinger cable. The seller said the high circuit didn't work so I got it for $180. (the extension cord is worth that much). I fixed the high circuit problem but I couldn't weld with it. I had no experience and had a heck of time trying to strike an arc. I took a welding course in the evenings at the local college but even after that I still had a heck of a time striking an arc.

I bought a Lincoln 180 mig welder and that problem ended immediately. Now I enjoy welding instead of cursing it. The mig just makes it so easy for a novice to use. THAT is what I love about mig. I still have the Century but haven't used it since getting the mig. I do however use the extension cord on occasion. I'm sure the stick is better suited for thicker materials but I have welded a fair bit of mild steel with the mig, mostly 1/4" or 5/16" and it has produced very strong joints in my opinion. I even welded some 1/2" for my 20 ton long splitter and it has held together for about 6 years now, even though I sometimes think it will break with all the stress pinging I hear when the splitter slows down in the very hard woods or knots. The 1/2" weld took a lot of prep work and multiple passes but I would trust that weld a lot more than a stick weld that I can produce.

 

[Shield Arc]

Hilbilly in the 1970s I worked in a fab shop. Our #1 contract was building nuclear waste tanks. Some of these tanks had 7-inches of lead in the walls, floor, and ceiling. The tanks were 8-feet in diameter. They all had 4-inch thick x 8-inch tall rolled square stock welded at the top of the tank for a lifting ring. We had to put a 1 7/8-inch fillet weld top and bottom all the way around this lifting ring. We ran 1/16-inch Mig wire, with 100% CO2.

 

[MossRoad]

Personally I think Tig welding is easier than O&A welding. With Tig welding, especially with these new inverter welders you have so much control over the puddle. And you don't have to put up with the heat of an O&A torch:thumbdown:. And you can control the amount of penetration you get with Tig by the way you sharpen the tungsten.

Well, I like taking pictures with film, too, but it ain't practical compared to digital anymore. Nor is it productive. :laughing:

 

[pmsmechanic]

I entered 295 into jdparts and two models showed up. Mine is the first model in the parts book. Thanks for the picture and info Terry.

I enjoy welding with mine. I weld with mostly 1/8th 7018AC. They aren't the easiest rod to weld with but if I use them every time then when I need to make a critical weld at least I don't have to learn to weld with a new rod first. Over the years I've come to exclusively use Lincoln rods because they weld so nice. Hilbilly that might have been your problem as not all rods weld the same. Plain 7018 (no ac) rods are just about impossible to weld with

I also have an ArcAir model K2000 that I use with this welder. I needed to buy ac carbon rods but it works. It a pain to keep the arc going but it works. For a few years I couldn't afford to buy an acetylene contract so that's what I did all my cutting with, that I couldn't do with a chop saw. The ArcAir uses the full 295 amps. I tried it with a Miller 225 but the juice just wasn't there.

 

[Hilbilly]

For a few years I couldn't afford to buy an acetylene contract so that's what I did all my cutting with, that I couldn't do with a chop saw. The ArcAir uses the full 295 amps. I tried it with a Miller 225 but the juice just wasn't there.

What is an acetylene contract?

I use O/A for any cutting I have to do but I'm not good at it. Just involves a little more grinding. I get my cylinders swapped at KMS tools or one of the welding supply places in the city. I'm not a welder but sometimes feel like one with the mig.:laughing:

I live in the sticks and it's just a necessity to do any welding and cutting myself, since it's a major PITA to take stuff into town to get fixed or fabricated. Besides I like to do things myself.

 

[pmsmechanic]

Acetylene contract is a misprint on my part. I should have said oxygen contract as I no longer use acetylene. Out here you can buy your own bottles but most people still pay a yearly bottle rental for oxygen. Not many use acetylene any more. Most cut with oxygen and propane.

I live in the sticks too but I'm the one that does the fixing.

 

[Big Barn]

Acetylene contract is a misprint on my part. I should have said oxygen contract as I no longer use acetylene. Out here you can buy your own bottles but most people still pay a yearly bottle rental for oxygen. Not many use acetylene any more. Most cut with oxygen and propane. I live in the sticks too but I'm the one that does the fixing.

Count me in as one of the dumb ones who still rents his O/A bottles. Just got my invoice from LWS last month....almost $200 per year (including taxes.). I'm pretty sure that's almost triple the cost of when I started the rental back in the late 1960's.

Terry

 

[mikehaugen]

And you can control the amount of penetration you get with Tig by the way you sharpen the tungsten.

I am far from any kind of expert, but I have never heard this. Could you elaborate please?

Obviously you can get finer arc control with a sharper point, and many people people like to ball the end for AC tig, but that is the extent of my expertise on tungsten profile.

 

[mikehaugen]

Count me in as one of the dumb ones who still rents his O/A bottles. Just got my invoice from LWS last month....almost $200 per year (including taxes.). I'm pretty sure that's almost triple the cost of when I started the rental back in the late 1960's.

Terry

And about 2/3 the cost of buying a tank, unless you have something huge. Does that include the filling?